Second fastest quilt

This summer I have two deadlines...two baby quilts . The two babies (two different moms...more cousins!) are due the beginning of October so I figured I had a few weeks. I found out the beginning of June that Jill's shower will be July 8th!!!! Good grief that only gives me a month. Can I do it? Should I just give her the top and quilt it later? I decided to go for it.

I went to the Annapolis Quilt show on June 9 and bought the fabric. It is Karma Baby by Northcott. She's having a boy so I chose the blues. I knew I wanted to make her the alphabet pattern from Fat Quarter Fonts by Atkinson Design because I made her an alphabet quilt when she was born in 1978. It was my first quilt ever and I shudder to think of what it looked like and how I made it. I was a garment sewer and didn't consider myself an official quilter until 1999 but I had made a few baby quilts before that.

I got the fabric washed that weekend and scanned it into my computer. Then I played with the combinations and while I am not 100% satisfied with this version, I decided to stop playing in the interest of time. Last weekend I got them all cut out and all last week I fused them and started machine blanket stitching them. I finished the top (including the borders but didn't take a picture) Friday night. Basted it Saturday and started quilting. I am about half way done the quilting so I think I will make it. I think the longest part of the process is in the designing. Whew. Oh and the first fastest quilt was here.

I'll show a photo later with the borders on and this baby will be DONE!

Happy sewing
Susie

Slow progress

I am almost too embarrassed to tell you how long this quilt has been in the works but you will know if you click here and see how it started.

Well, it is still not done but it is back on the design wall. I bought the border fabric at our guild show in March and now I am deciding if I want a pieced border inset into the solid blue border. It would be something simple like four-patches or nine-patches on point. I have a lot of blue scraps left over but not enough for a whole other quilt. I might just put a .5" white inner border and call it done though. You will see this one again but this time with the top done.  Now quilting it is a whole other story!

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Happy sewing
Susie

Better than sewing

Progress is being made on my Burgoyne Surrounded. I got the blocks and sashings put together and hopefully I will get the borders on next weekend. I think I want to try burgundy with maybe some nine-patches extending into the border. If I don't like that I will resort to my default color....blue! This quilt is gonna be huge. Those blocks are 15" and with the sashings  the center is 75" x 93". So with borders it will probably be a queen size. Not sure where this quilt will live though. I do plan on giving it away.

Now, I know all you moms will agree that one of the things better than sewing is spending time with family. Especially when your children are grown and you all can get together at the same time in the same place! We went to a family wedding on Saturday. Then on Sunday we all went to church and then had a wonderful Mother's Day celebration. I cooked, my husband grilled delicious salmon, and they all cleaned up! Ohhhh, it was wonderful and I feel very blessed.

It's always great see my two boys and daughter all together all dressed up!

Happy sewing,
Susie

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Matchy-matchy

I don't  make many matchy-matchy quilts but sometimes one just strikes you and you have to give in. I love them but usually lean towards scrappy quilts. Gotta use all this fabric somehow!  I saw this exact pattern in a magazine a few years ago and a vendor at our local quilt show had all the fabric by Jackie Robinson. I was intrigued by the border fabric and I entered it in our quilt show in March. Well, as you can see I won first place in the large pieced category and a vendors choice award. I am particularly proud of the freehand feathers quilting. I think you can see it if you click on the picture.

And remember this quilt? Here is our sweet Everleigh one year later doing her favorite thing...eating....just like her mama! She does really well feeding herself.

 

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Happy sewing,
Susie

Restarting

I love the space in time between finishing a quilt and starting a new one. The possibilities are endless.

I finished this quilt for a cousin's wedding shower and gave it to her yesterday. She was registered at Crate and Barrel and mine was the only gift not in a C&B box!

The bride's sister told me she wanted burnt orange, khaki and tan. I was originally looking for a large-ish burnt orange print and was going to make a fractured crystal pattern but actually changed my mind while I was standing in line to get the fabric cut! So I got out of line, chose a few FQs  for variety and never looked back. I usually trust my gut in these cases. I bought the fabric on Super Bowl Sunday at our local quilt shop's sale. I got the blocks done at our guild's retreat over President's weekend put it together and quilted it between then and now and sewed the label on Friday night. Whew this was a fast one. You see, I work full-time and even though my profile says I try to sew every day the operative word here is try.

So I got up Saturday morning with no deadline! I actually cut up some scraps into strips (following Bonnie Hunter's scrap system) and later in the day after grocery shopping and laundry I started sewing on a new piecing project. I am also planning which quilts I want to enter in next years' quilt show which involves basting and quilting. Remember I like to have projects in different stages.

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Until next time...
Susie

Burgoyne Surrounded Swap

Last week when my Bernina 153 just stopped working and my other machine, my Bernina 180, was on loan to a friend, I sort of went through sewing withdrawal. I mean I was really discombobulated. So I got out my featherweight and started sewing together these blocks.

My guild, thanks to Cappy and Mary, organized a scrappy swap of the components for these blocks. We swapped all dark 4-patches, dark-light 4-patches, dark-light 9-patches, the 5x2 unit for the sides and plain neutral rectangles. It took a few months and some of the ladies have already completed their quilts.

I have always wanted to make this pattern. Throw in the scrapiness and the little pieces (each square is 1") and I knew this was in my future. I love working on this. It sure came to my rescue when I needed to just sit and sew. I only have three blocks done.

Once the holiday busyness is over this will be my next finish project. That is after, (or I should say while) I finish the baby quilt, and quilt two or three other tops!!

I always have a few projects in different stages. That way I tame the A.D.D.!!!

Wishing you a few moments to sit and sew
Susie

PS I got my 180 back from my friend so all is right in my world. The 153 is still in the shop.

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They just keep coming

Weddings and babies that is and not necessarily in that order ;-)!

I have a lot of cousins and we all got married and had kids around the same time so that means that all those kids are now getting married and having babies around the same time too. I am not complaining mind you. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. And those babies sure are fun.
This is a baby I spy for a little boy to be born in February. When his parents announced his gender they started calling him blue and then blueberry. So there is blueberry fabric right in the middle. There are also other significant fabrics in there like Redskins for Dad (even though they stink!!!) and Ravens for Mom (not my favorite team even though I am a Baltimoron).

It is mostly put together and I plan on quilting it over the long Thanksgiving weekend. That is if I can get my sewing machine to work. It just up and stopped running right in the middle of quilting another quilt on Saturday. I lent my friend my other machine and will get that one back tomorrow so I do have a backup. I was surprised at how "off" I felt this weekend without my Berninas. I got out my featherweight and pieced some but I still had this feeling that something just wasn't quite right. Anyone else feel that way about their machines?

Happy stitches,
Susie

Oh, and go visit Judy to see what's on everyone else's design wall